Engine.



P. D. HOWE.

ENGINE.

APPLICATION rum) HAB.16,1908.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

W H k W BY CU WITNESSES 7%. m $9M ATTORNEYS FRANK-D. HOWE, OF WALTHAM, MASSACHUSETTS.

ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 5, 1909.

Application filed larch 16, 1908. Serial No. 421539.

To all whom concern:

Be 'it known that I, FRANK D. HOWE, a citizen-of the United States, residing at the gresenttime in the city of 'Waltham, in the tate of Massachusetts, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Engines, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had to the accompanying drawing, forming a part hereof.

The invention relates more particularly to means for preventing the creeping of lubricating oil around the piston into the working chamber; it being especially desirable, in internal combustion engines for instance, to prevent the carbonization of the lubricating oil which takes place when such oil is subjected to the high heat of the combustion chamber, attacking the ignition apparatus and making a frequent overhauling necesit has been proposed heretofore to prevent the creeping of this oil around the piston by providing an annular recess in the surface of the iston and relief channels for the recess leading into the interior of the piston whence the oil collected in the recess might find its we back again to the source of lubrication.

he present improvements have to do with the rovision of a different form of relief which is much simpler in its construction and which does not involve the removal of the oil from the surface of the iston. This relief is formed in the surface 0 the piston itself or in one of the piston rings and will be explained in more detail hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings in which,

Figure 1 is a view partly in elevation of a sufficient portion of a cyhnder and a piston to enable the invention to be understood. Fig. 2 is a detail sectional view upon a larger scale, and, Fig. 3 is another detail sectional view.

The working cylinder or the combustion chamber of the engine is indicated by the lettor a and the iston, which as illustrated is of the ordinary ollow variety, by the letter I), being provided as usual, with e astic packing rings 0 located in suitable recesses in the surface of the piston. One of the packing rings, as will be seen from Figs. 1 and 2, is provided with a sharp edge facing the forward end of the piston and a jacent to this edge is a recess e. In the operation of the engine, as the piston moves forward the lubricating oil upon the sides of the cylinder will be scraped by the sharp edge f into the recess e, thus forcing into this recess a relatively large amount of oil which would otherwise remain u on the surface of the-cylinder and gradual y work its way into the combustion chamber or working cylinder. It is immaterial so far as the present invention is concerned whether the sharp surface f be formed upon a piston rin or upon the surface of the cylinder itself. It IS preferable, however, to provide this sharp edge u on the ring, as shown, for the reason that t e ring is elastic and is in much closer contact with the surface of the cylinder than the surface of the piston whereby the scraping of the oil is much more effective.

T e forward end of the recess e is rounded as indicated at In so that it approaches the surface of the cylinder very adually. In this way as the piston moves b ackward into the cylinder the oil which has been scraped by the forward movement of the iston into the recess e is adually re-distri uted in a thin film upon t e sides of the cylinder again, and is not discharged, as heretofore, into the interior of the piston.

Where elastic rings are employed to scrape the oil, it will be advantageous in some cases, to bevel the rear edge of the ring, as illustrated in Fi 3, in order to prevent any scra ing of t e oil as the rin movesbackwar 1y with the piston. Sue beveling allows the ring to ride over the film of oil which otherwise would be more or less carried along by the ring. It is also preferable to provide a ring in the forward end of the piston, as shown in Figs. 1 and 3, and where this is done the cooperating recess m may be left with one edge open, this recess being formed at the extreme end of the piston. The other edge of the recess is obviously formed by the ring itself. It is understood that this recess of course is a substantial one and not a capillary recess such as would ordinarily exist between the piston and the cylinder walls.

I claim as my invention 1. In an engine, the combination with the engine cyhnder, of a piston having a sharp edge for the scraping of oil, a recess adjacent to the edge, and a relief for the oil in the recess, said relief being formed upon the surface of the piston and communicating wit the recess.

2. In an engine, the combination with the engine cylinderf of alfpiston having asharp edge for the scraping of oil, and a recess ad acent to the ed e and adually ap roachin at its forwalr end t e sides of t e cylin or whereby u n the backward stroke of the piston the 0 in the recess ma be distributed upon the sides of the cy 'nder as described.

3. In an engine, the combination with the engine cylinder, of a piston having a sharp l0 edge for the scraping of oil, and a recess ad1acent to the edge and havin its forward edge rounded whereby u on tfie backward stroke of the iston the oi in the recess may be distributed upon the sides of the cylinder lo as described.

4. In an engine, the combination with the engine cylinder,'of a piston provided with an elastic ring for the scraping of oil, and a recess adjacent to the ring, whereby u on the 20 backward stroke of the piston the oi in the recess may be distributed upon the sides of the c linder as described.

5. an engine, the combination with the engine c linder, of a piston having an elastic rin in t e forward end thereof, and a recess 25 at t e extreme end of the cylinder in advance of the rin the ring formi one edge of the recess am? he other edge 0 the recess being 0 en.

6. In an engine, the combination with the 30 engine cylinder, of a piston having an elastic rin one edge of the ring having a beveled sur ace and the other edge being sharp.

This s ecification si ed and witnessed this 9th ay of March, .D., 1908.

FRANK D. HOWE.

Signed in the presence of- [moms E. VARNEY, HOMER H. SNOW. 

